#Chicago Faith Coalition

[sbahour]

NAKBA @ 75

Recording of our webinar with the Chicago Faith Coalition and the Indiana Center for Middle East Peace

https://youtu.be/YBmL4DDPLhI (1:20:00)

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jack Jenkins at RNS:

(RNS) — A diverse group of Christians is throwing support behind Vice President Kamala Harris’ White House bid, organizing fundraisers and Zoom calls in hopes of helping catapult the Democrat to victory in November — and, they say, reclaiming their faith from Republicans in the process. Their efforts come on the heels of similar campaigns aimed at specific constituency groups, such as the recent “White Dudes for Harris” Zoom call that featured celebrities and grabbed headlines. John Pavlovitz, a liberal-leaning Christian author and activist, was on that call when he hatched the idea for a Christian-centric version and texted his friend Malynda Hale, a singer, actress and fellow activist. “We had a conversation about how, specifically on the Democratic side of the political spectrum, you don’t hear a lot of people talking about their faith,” Hale told Religion News Service in an interview. “We wanted people to know that there are progressive Christians, there are Christians on the Democratic, left-leaning side, so that they didn’t feel alone.”

The result was Christians for Kamala, a part-fundraiser, part-virtual roundtable livestreamed event on Monday (Aug. 12). Featured speakers cited their faith as they praised liberal policies and personally endorsed Harris — who recently entered the presidential race after President Joe Biden bowed out — and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Over the course of the nearly three-hour event, the group raised more than $150,000 for the Harris campaign, a number that has climbed to just shy of $200,000 in the days since. “It’s been really difficult to keep up with the flood of comments and connections that have been coming in,” said Pavlovitz, who said the only formal help he received from the Harris campaign was in setting up a donation system for fundraising. A number of Christian groups — including evangelicals, a constituency key to former President Donald Trump’s base — have assembled similar calls in the lead up to next week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Most have had little to no assistance from the official Harris-Walz campaign, which, barely a month old, has yet to announced a dedicated faith outreach director. The emerging grassroots coalition vies not only to bolster Harris but also to push back on what organizers say is a false assumption that to be Christian is to be a Republican — or a supporter of former President Donald Trump.

[...] That diversity was on display during the Christians for Kamala call, which included a mix of faith leaders such as the Rev. Jacqui Lewis, of Middle Collegiate Church in New York City, and the Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., head of the nonprofit Hip Hop Caucus; activists like environmentalist Bill McKibben and LGBTQ+ rights advocate Charlotte Clymer; commentators such as CNN’s Van Jones; and politicians, including New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Texas State Rep. James Talarico. The speakers linked their support for specific policies, such as working to blunt the impacts of climate change or passing immigration reform, to their faith and Christian Scripture. Some rebuked conservative Christianity’s ties to the GOP, calling it a form of Christian nationalism. “My faith in Jesus leads me to reject Christian nationalism and commit myself to the project of a multiracial, multicultural democracy where we can all freely love God and fully love our neighbors,” said Talarico, a Presbyterian Church (USA) seminarian who has been vocal in his condemnation of Christian nationalism in his state. “That same faith leads me to support Vice President Harris to be the next president of the United States.”

Although a member of a mainline denomination, Talarico was also a speaker on a separate “Evangelicals for Harris” Zoom call assembled on Wednesday evening. Organized by Faith Voters, a 501(c)4 organization, the effort was geared toward conservative Christians who have disproportionately sided with Trump. The call struck a different tone than Christians for Kamala: some speakers noted they had never endorsed a candidate before, and at least one pastor suggested he was risking friendships and relationships with his congregation by participating.

[...] The calls add to a slate of organizing efforts launched in recent days aimed at specific religious groups. Nearly 500 faith leaders have signed on to a letter endorsing Harris, a “Latter-day Saints for Harris” call was convened last week and multiple separate calls have been organized for Jewish Americans — including one on Thursday that targeted Jewish women and featured singer Barbra Streisand. A separate “Catholics for Kamala” call, facilitated in part by the Harris campaign, was also slated for this week but organizers rescheduled it until after the Democratic National Convention, citing scheduling conflicts. According to Pavlovitz, his group is already partnering with others, such as Catholics for Kamala, Christian Democrats of America and Vote Common Good. What form their collaborations take remains to be seen, but Pavlovitz said he is hopeful for whatever comes next.

Christians fed up with the religious right’s monopolization of what it means to be a Christian rallied to support Kamala Harris on multiple recent calls, such as Christians For Harris and Evangelicals For Harris. Christians need to vote for the REAL Christian in the race, and that’s Harris (and not antichrist Trump). #HarrisWalz2024

[beardedmrbean]

Chicago police cleared out a pro-Palestinian encampment on DePaul University's Lincoln Park quad Thursday morning.

Officers in riot gear were seen on the North Side campus just before 6 a.m.

The encampment had been in place for over two weeks; it began on April 30.

In a letter to faculty, staff and students early Thursday, DePaul President Robert L. Manuel said, "despite our good faith efforts to come to a shared resolution with the DePaul Divestment Coalition, we were unsuccessful."

He said since the encampment began, "the situation has steadily escalated with physical altercations, credible threats of violence from people not associated with our community, an inability for the other members of our community to take part in the core academic experiences on our campus, and an ever-growing series of threats to the people involved in the encampment and our community members."

The letter said those in the encampment were given the opportunity to leave peacefully, without being arrested.

"I urge all there to leave peacefully and return home," Manuel said.

Police appeared to quickly clear out the site, and protesters moved down Fullerton Avenue. No physical confrontations could be seen, but some protesters claimed police forcibly removed them.

Chicago police held a news conference about 7:45 a.m., saying there were no confrontations, but two people were arrested.

A man and woman, ages 21 and 25, were arrested for obstructing traffic on Belden Avenue, police and DePaul said.

Protesters moved into the neighborhood after being cleared out of the quad, and police blocked some roadways in the area.

The DePaul president said during the encampment, protesters vandalized university buildings, causing nearly $180,000 in damage.

DePaul's quad and all other green spaces on the school's Lincoln Park campus will be closed to everyone while repairs are made, the president said.

"Anyone who tries to breach the fence around the quad or any of the green spaces on the Lincoln Park Campus will be trespassed, arrested, and suspended. DePaul will continue to investigate every reported complaint of harassment or discrimination that we receive resulting from the encampment or subsequent events," he said.

The school said classes will proceed as scheduled Thursday.

The school had given protesters a deadline of noon Sunday to remove the encampment, but they had remained until Thursday.

Students told ABC7 Chicago they were preparing for and coming up with plans in case the university tried to forcibly clear the encampment themselves.

DePaul's was one of the last remaining anti-war encampments in the Chicago area. Throughout the last month, college campuses across the country have seen large-scale protests.

"It is shameful that DePaul chose to abruptly and violently engage in a raid on students early in the morning without warning. I condemn their use of force rather than engaging in dialogue with the students. I am proud of the students for being the voice of reason," Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez said in a statement.

There was a student walkout at DePaul University Wednesday after students in the encampment and the administration reached an impasse on demands to divest from Israel.

By 4 p.m. Wednesday, there was a large group of protesters and their supporters in the center of the quad, listening to speakers and chanting rallying cries, in what had been overall a loud but peaceful gathering.

Encampment organizers said they mobilized a 3 p.m. walkout of students and faculty; though, it was not immediately clear how many actually walked out of class.

The gathering was a show of solidarity with protesters who had been camped out for more than two weeks, calling for the university to divest from companies that benefit Israel.

DePaul's president has said he respects the rights of students to protest, but said the encampment has drawn counter-protesters which have led to security concerns. DePaul said talks with protesters reached an impasse a few days ago, which prompted the university to cancel a planned music festival that was to be held in the quad Friday.

Encampment organizers said they were willing to keep talking.

"We did invite them a few days ago to another negotiation meeting in which they pulled a no-show. They didn't even offer us an email as to why they couldn't. So, yeah, we are still willing to negotiate. We're still here. We're not, we're always going to be willing to negotiate. It's more so on administration side," said Henna Ayesh of the DePaul Divestment Coalition.

Protest organizers said they chose Wednesday for the walkout in part because many Palestinians mark this date as the start of displacement following Israel's Independence Day on May 14, 1948.

Alderman Timmy Knudsen, who represents the 43rd Ward, released a statement Thursday, saying:

"This morning, CPD and DePaul University campus security took action to remove the DePaul encampment. We are in touch with university leadership and City officials and will keep residents updated as we learn more about the next steps for the area.

"Please click here for a detailed explanation from DePaul.

"As the conflict in the Middle East continues, we will continue to advocate for the City to balance a commitment to upholding First Amendment rights to protest, while ensuring our neighborhoods remain safe."

The Rev. Michael Pfleger also put out a statement, saying, "Very Disappointed in DePaul University for having CPD close down the Encampment this morning Msgr Jack Egan would be Ashamed of you. Demanding Disinvestment from Israel due to the Apartheid taking place in Gaza is our very Catholic roots. And the DNA OF OUR FAITH. A sad day for DePaul University."

[justforbooks]

Ethel Kennedy

Widow of Bobby Kennedy who brought up 11 children after his 1968 assassination and later devoted herself to social causes

Ethel Kennedy, who has died aged 96, was one of the most active and best-known US political wives of the 20th century. As her husband, Robert F Kennedy, campaigned first for the Senate and then for the presidency, she supported him while also bringing up their children. The 11th and last of them, her daughter Rory, was born after Bobby was assassinated in 1968. From the 1970s onwards, Ethel devoted herself to social causes and was latterly co-chair of the Coalition of Gun Control.

Her life had been touched by tragedy earlier, when her parents died in a plane crash in 1955. Her brother-in-law, President John F Kennedy, was assassinated in 1963. Two of her children died prematurely – David of a drug overdose at the age of 28 in 1984 and Michael in a skiing accident in 1997, when he was 39. Her husband was shot at the Ambassador hotel in Los Angeles following his victory in the California primary for the US presidential race.

Sustained by a strong Catholic faith, she remained, in the view of writer Hays Gorey, “an incorrigibly cheerful widow”, never permitting gloom to descend on the frenetic lifestyle that had always been found at Hickory Hill, the family home in McLean, Virginia. The place was strewn with footballs and tennis rackets, and no one was allowed to sit around and mope.

Ethel used sport to promote her husband’s legacy and raise money for the wide variety of charities that fell under the umbrella of the Robert Kennedy Foundation, which also administered what is now Robert F Kennedy Human Rights. This led to the creation of a memorial tennis tournament at Forest Hills, New York, a pro-celebrity event that for several years in the 1970s was played on the eve of the US Open.

Born in Chicago, Ethel was the sixth of seven children of Ann (nee Brannack), a devout Catholic, and George Skakel, who went from an $8 a week job as a railway clerk to selling coal and founding a company called Great Lakes Coal & Coke. When Ethel was five the family moved east, eventually settling in Connecticut, where she attended Greenwich academy. She became friends with Jean Kennedy, Bobby’s sister, while they were both studying at Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart in New York City. Meanwhile, Bobby – whom Ethel first met on a skiing trip in Quebec in 1945 – was dating Ethel’s sister, Patricia. When they broke up, Ethel began the partnership that would define her life.

Ethel campaigned for John F Kennedy when he ran for Congress in Massachusetts in 1946. She married his younger brother in 1950, and the following year their first child, Kathleen, was born.

“They had a wonderful relationship, full of banter and repartee,” recalled Donald Dell, a US Davis Cup captain in the 60s, who played tennis with the couple and became a family friend. “Ethel used to needle Bobby all the time and he gave as good as he got. But he was always very protective of her and she was fiercely loyal to him.”

When JFK ran for the Senate in 1952, Bobby managed the campaign. Throughout the rest of the 50s, Ethel supported Bobby as he climbed the political ladder, and when JFK went to the White House in 1960, Bobby was appointed attorney general.

The assassination of JFK in 1963 changed Bobby and Ethel’s lives abruptly. Bobby continued the Kennedy story by successfully running for the Senate in 1964 and then decided to join the 1968 presidential race himself.

Early in the campaign, that March, came the stunning news that President Lyndon B Johnson had decided not to run for a second term. It immediately made Bobby Kennedy a hot favourite to win the Democratic nomination and, in many people’s minds, the presidency. But that dream died after shots were fired in the kitchen of the Los Angeles hotel in June.

Dealing steadfastly with her bereavement, Ethel drew on a wide and diverse array of “pals”, as she used to call them, to boost her charitable work. Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis Jnr and Charlton Heston were among the celebrities who were always available when she called. A friend remembers her phoning Heston, whom she always referred to as Chuckles, in an attempt to get him to persuade Roy Emerson, the Wimbledon champion, to play in her tournament. “In return I’ll take a part in one of your movies,” she joked. “But I don’t want a maid’s part – I want some love interest!”

There was some speculation about possible “love interest” between Ethel and the singer Andy Williams during the years following her husband’s death. This gossip continued until, citing her Catholic views, she announced a decision never to re-marry.

In a later age, a new generation was swept up in the Kennedy lifestyle. Taylor Swift, the country music star, was 23 when she spent some time with the then 84-year-old widow at the family compound at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, in 2012. Swift declined to go swimming because a couple of her friends had not brought their swimsuits. “Being that thoughtful, you’ll run the risk of being boring,” said Ethel. “Go on, get in the water!”

“So I jumped in,” said Swift. “I took it as a metaphor for life. You have to jump in; you have to take your chances. Ethel taught me that.”

In May 2014, the Benning Road Bridge, which links Washington DC to Anacostia in Maryland, was renamed the Ethel Kennedy Bridge in recognition of the decades of work she had put in to improve the lives of young people living alongside the Anacostia River, reportedly one of the most polluted in America. To kick start the project in 1992, Ethel had waded in to pluck old tyres and debris from the water.

The family member most in the news recently has been her son Robert Jr, who abandoned presidential runs first as a Democrat, and then as an independent. Ethel is survived by him, four other sons, Joseph, Christopher, Max and Douglas, and four daughters, Kathleen, Courtney, Kerry and Rory.

🔔 Ethel Skakel Kennedy, socialite and campaigner, born 11 April 1928; died 10 October 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[ramrodd]

Bible Prophecy #The 8: The Job Description of the Messiah--Has Anyone Ev...

COMMENTARY:

Jimmy, my problem with your academic career is that your focus on that David Koresh prophecy/eschatology bullshit is teaching people to use the Hebrew Bible and Revelation like a Ouija board, but without the safeguards of the Kabbalah and the Holy Spirit. What I cannot entirely decide whether you are doing this on purpose or you are so intent on avoiding military service has totally perverted your judgement. Given your concern for the genocide in the Gaza, you should be   sensitive to the appearance of Biblical prophecy regarding Abdullah II and Jimmy Carter warning of the price for a generation of Netanyahu's bad faith in regards to the Oslo Accords and the terrorism of the Likud, This is where the Post Modern Historic Deconstruction fails as a reliable method of social navigation, You Jesus Seminar debunkers and Pro-Life solo scriptura are different sides of the same  Pro-Life Calvinism coin This is where a personal exercise of the Philosophy in your Ph, D actually be employed in your alleged agenda free scholarship.,  Yo adopted the method of the anti-war/civil rights liberal coalition versus the white supremacist pro-war conservatives, especially the Young Americans for Freedom, This was an on-campus Hitler Youth program to protect white privile in the manner of William F. Buckley at the Cambridge Union in 1965, I went to Vietnam on the basis of James Baldwin's proposition baed on what has become Critical Race Theory and the white and woke Biden voter. You were working for the Resistance between 68 and 79, As a combat crazed Vientam vet, I identify entirely with Phaedrus in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, What her ran into at the University of Chicago is exactly what I ran into when I got back from Vietnam and tried toget a life. The economics of the University of Chicago is the Fresh Water white supremacist economics defined in George Gilder's Wealth and Poverty, the manifesto for Suplply Side economics of Movement Conservatives who came to town with Rea gan. Oishi boards are dangerous, Bell, Book and Candle, And a black cat, for good luck. What you are in contact with is the experience John the Baptizer endured to produce Revelation, I'v had enough experience with it to not to have anything to do with it. Scientology uses a similar technology to go "Clear". And that's how you have been teaching people to read the Bible. The Shema of Moses is incomplete, epistemologically, It is a thre-legged stool, missing an element with heart, soul and strength, This is theologically wobbly, Jesus adds Platon with His version of heart, soul, mind and strength, This is the core value of Pauline Theology,  It is 4 Square with the Earth, like the Shinning City on the Hill of Revelation with 12 gates, Washington DC is surveyed, 4 Square to the Earth, on the diagonal of the Rose Compass. It has to do with the Mason Lodge #22 in Alexandria VA, In the ontology of the Bible, Jesus is the only one of the 7 elements with a Pucker Factor. This Pucker Factor is what connects Jesus to Kant's Categorical Imperative and cognitive theory, You've gone as far as you can with David Koresh, Renounce your endorsement of the Marxist axiom that harmonization is the enemy of the Truth. Harmonization and Truth are one,

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] Leading Indian American Industrialist Shalabh Kumar took to social media to post a video of members of the Hindu faith celebrating Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 US Presidential elections by gathering together at the YMCA in Chicago. In a post on the social media platform X, Kumar wrote, “Last night 1500 Hindus, members of Republican Hindu Coalition danced to YMCA celebrating Trump 2.0 victory at Maharana Pratap Ronald Reagan community centre in Carol Stream, Chicago”. The event saw people gather in large numbers and joyously celebrate Donald Trump’s historic victory in the presidential elections. Last night 1500 Hindus, members of Republican Hindu Coalition danced to YMCA celebrating Trump 2.0 victory at Maharana Pratap Ronald Reagan community center in Carol Stream, Chicago. This election 85+% Hindus in America, over 300,000 in BG states of PA, MI and WI voted for Trump… pic.twitter.com/cv5BXrY6Sq — Shalabh Shalli Kumar (@iamshalabhkumar) November 16, 2024 In his post, he noted that the 2024 US Presidential elections told that more than 85 per cent of Hindus in America, making a number over 300,000 in key states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, voted for Trump, thereby “giving him a margin of victory of 240K”, according to Shalabh Shalli Kumar. He expressed confidence in further cementing of India-US ties by noting, “There is no question, this landslide changes the course of world for decades to come. Bharat and America Sabse Acche Dost”. Kumar attributed Trump’s success in part to a focused last-minute campaign targeting Hindu American voters, specifically in key battleground states. “It was our goal to at least switch over 200,000 Hindu votes from Kamala to Trump in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and that’s what happened,” he said. Kumar credited the momentum to a critical tweet on Diwali, which, he noted, “changed everything” and enabled a targeted media push. “We were successful in educating the Hindu Americans about who Kamala really is. She is only half Hindu… and she’s friendly towards [leftist ideologies],” he added, stressing his belief that Harris’s political philosophy was “very much to the left.” Kumar highlighted the coalition’s efforts, describing a five-day media blitz of 900 commercials aimed at informing Hindu Americans of their stance, saying, “We also brought out the fact that she is a Marxist… and a communist sympathiser.” In his view, this strategic outreach significantly bolstered Trump’s support among Hindu American voters, contributing to what he called a “great victory” for the Republican Party. [ad_2] Source link

[news365times]

[ad_1] Leading Indian American Industrialist Shalabh Kumar took to social media to post a video of members of the Hindu faith celebrating Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 US Presidential elections by gathering together at the YMCA in Chicago. In a post on the social media platform X, Kumar wrote, “Last night 1500 Hindus, members of Republican Hindu Coalition danced to YMCA celebrating Trump 2.0 victory at Maharana Pratap Ronald Reagan community centre in Carol Stream, Chicago”. The event saw people gather in large numbers and joyously celebrate Donald Trump’s historic victory in the presidential elections. Last night 1500 Hindus, members of Republican Hindu Coalition danced to YMCA celebrating Trump 2.0 victory at Maharana Pratap Ronald Reagan community center in Carol Stream, Chicago. This election 85+% Hindus in America, over 300,000 in BG states of PA, MI and WI voted for Trump… pic.twitter.com/cv5BXrY6Sq — Shalabh Shalli Kumar (@iamshalabhkumar) November 16, 2024 In his post, he noted that the 2024 US Presidential elections told that more than 85 per cent of Hindus in America, making a number over 300,000 in key states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, voted for Trump, thereby “giving him a margin of victory of 240K”, according to Shalabh Shalli Kumar. He expressed confidence in further cementing of India-US ties by noting, “There is no question, this landslide changes the course of world for decades to come. Bharat and America Sabse Acche Dost”. Kumar attributed Trump’s success in part to a focused last-minute campaign targeting Hindu American voters, specifically in key battleground states. “It was our goal to at least switch over 200,000 Hindu votes from Kamala to Trump in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and that’s what happened,” he said. Kumar credited the momentum to a critical tweet on Diwali, which, he noted, “changed everything” and enabled a targeted media push. “We were successful in educating the Hindu Americans about who Kamala really is. She is only half Hindu… and she’s friendly towards [leftist ideologies],” he added, stressing his belief that Harris’s political philosophy was “very much to the left.” Kumar highlighted the coalition’s efforts, describing a five-day media blitz of 900 commercials aimed at informing Hindu Americans of their stance, saying, “We also brought out the fact that she is a Marxist… and a communist sympathiser.” In his view, this strategic outreach significantly bolstered Trump’s support among Hindu American voters, contributing to what he called a “great victory” for the Republican Party. [ad_2] Source link

[ivankahasbeentreatedsounfairly]

By Thomas B. Edsall

In the world of political fund-raising, there is hard money, soft money, dark money — and Leonard Leo money.

Political advocacy and charitable groups controlled by Leo now have far more assets than the combined total cash on hand of the Republican and Democratic National, Congressional and Senatorial committees: $440.9 million.

Leo is a 58-year-old graduate of Cornell Law School, a Catholic with ties to Opus Dei — the most conservative “personal prelature” in the church hierarchy — chief strategist of the Federalist Society for more than a quarter century and a crucial force behind the confirmations of John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. He has emerged over the past five years as the dominant fund-raiser on the right.

As Leo has risen to this pinnacle of influence, he has become rich, profiting from the organizations he has created and from the consulting fees paid by the conservative advocacy and lobbying groups he funds.

Leo has an overarching agenda. In a 2022 speech he made upon receiving the John Paul II New Evangelization Award at the Catholic Information Center, he warned fellow Catholics: “Catholic evangelization faces extraordinary threats and hurdles. Our culture is more hateful and intolerant of Catholicism than at any other point in our lives. It despises who we are, what we profess and how we act.”

Leo describes the adversaries of Catholicism as “these barbarians, secularists and bigots” who “have been growing more numerous over the past few years. They control and use many levers of power.” He is determined to wrest the levers of power from “the grasp of liberals” and place them, permanently if possible, with those he sees as their rightful owner: social and economic conservatives.

Leo has most famously used his network and personal influence not only to establish a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court but also to secure appointment of deeply conservative justices throughout the federal and state court systems.

At the same time, Leo has provided essential support to the full gamut of right-wing advocacy and lobbying organizations, including the Federalist Society, Susan B. Anthony Pro-life America and the Faith and Freedom Coalition.

The millions of dollars Leo has raised through his tax-exempt nonprofits have, in turn, flowed to profit-making consulting companies owned, in part or wholly, by him. In 2016, he created the BH Group, a for-profit consulting firm that is now defunct, whichreceived at least $6.9 million from tax- exempt donor nonprofits run by him.

Four years later, Leo formed CRC Advisors, also a profit-making consulting firm. Since then, two of his tax-exempt donor organizations, the 85 Fund and the Concord Fund, have paid CRC Advisors more than $77 million, according to reports filed with the I.R.S.

Leo is a prodigious fund-raiser whose organizations take in and hand out hundreds of millions annually. For example, the 85 Fund, according to the I.R.S., raised $317.9 million from 2020 to 2022 and gave out grants totaling $147.4 million. During that same period, the 85 Fund paid CRC Advisors — of which Leo is chairman — fees totaling $55.2 million, according to I.R.S. filings and research by Accountable.us and ProPublica.

Similarly, the Concord Fund raised $150.7 million from 2020 to 2023 and awarded grants totaling $96.8 million, according to the I.R.S., and the Concord Fund paid CRC Advisors a total of $21.9 million.

In effect, Leo has created for himself and his for-profit partners at CRC Advisors a lucrative business model.

In 2021, Leo was the recipient of what is believed to be the single largest contribution to a politically oriented advocacy group: $1.6 billion from Barre Seid, an obscure but very wealthy Chicago electronics manufacturer. Leo used the money to create the Marble Freedom Trust, which had assets of more than $1 billion in April 2023, according to its most recent I.R.S. filing. That report shows that it gave $153.8 million to Schwab Charitable, $55.5 million to Leo’s Concord Fund and $7.6 million to the Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund.

The vast sums under Leo’s command have elevated him to the highest echelons of conservative influence and power.

Tracking payments to CRC Advisors from groups supported by Leo’s three major charities is particularly difficult because of his deliberate secretiveness. For a majority of grants, Leo uses specific “donor-advised funds,” or pass-throughs — vehicles designed to prevent the public from knowing who the beneficiaries of his largess are. Over the three years covered in the most recent I.R.S. reports, Leo’s charities channeled a total of $325.5 million through Schwab Charitable and $216.7 million through Donors Trust.

Leo or his designated representative can direct Schwab or Donors Trust to make contributions to specific groups, but those groups remain largely out of public view.

Here is how Donors Trust describes its services:

In today’s polarized climate, many conservative and libertarian donors worry about being able to manage their charitable giving in a way that aligns with their values. We help donors like you to have a positive, principled impact with your giving in a private, tax-friendly way. We are a charitable partner that not only understands your commitment to liberty but shares it, too.

The Donor Trust lists the grants it makes without identifying the source of the money. A quick scan of the groups receiving money from the Donor Trust in 2021 and 2022 includes many entities that Leo has publicly supported, including the Competitive Enterprise Institute, $1.3 million; the Constitutional Defense Fund, $7.4 million; the Foundation for Government Accountability, $2.5 million; the State Policy Network, $17.4 million; the Federalist Society, $3.7 million; and Teneo Network, $6 million.

A second factor contributing to the opacity of financial transactions involving Leo’s donor organizations and the groups they fund is that they are not required to file timely reports. Instead, many tax-exempt groups file reports with the I.R.S. in November for the previous year. So the most recent filings for many of these organizations is November 2023 for information on activities in 2022, now nearly two years out of date.

By email, I asked Leo a series of questions about his financial transactions, including:

Can you explain what CRC Advisors did for the $6,058,832 in 2023, the $3,757,454 paid in 2022, the $7,679,331 in 2021 by the Concord Fund? What did CRC Advisors do for the 85 Fund after receiving payments of $21,360,985 in 2022, $21,715,382 in 2021, and $12,117,335 in 2020? Do these payments from 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) charities, which are controlled by you, to CRC Advisors — a for-profit consulting firm that you chair — amount to self-dealing, in violation of tax law? If not, what justifies these payments? I know you have dismissed these concerns as baseless, but could you explain how they are baseless? In addition to the payments to CRC Advisors from the Leo-Leonard-run donor groups, many of the groups that have received payments from the 85 Fund, the Concord Fund and the Marble Trust have hired CRC Advisors. What services do you provide these groups? Do you assist them in making grant applications to your donor groups?

In his emailed reply, Leo argued that all payments were legitimate and based on the quality of the product clients received:

CRC Advisors is a firm that employs over 100 best-in-class professionals who provide an unsurpassed level of value and impact through an all-encompassing suite of services, including program and events management, content creation, research, and all aspects of public affairs. Our fees and services are based on a rigorous compliance system that is established and managed by leading legal counsel, accountants, and management and compensation consultants. We are paid less for more than our progressive rivals, and the nonprofit clients we work with are governed by independent boards. We are happy to have these standards judged against the progressives’ Arabellaand Tides networks, or any other enterprise that is similar to us.

In May 2019, Leo told The Washington Post: “I don’t waste my time on stories that involve money and politics because what I care about is ideas.”

Despite the disclosure limitations surrounding the money flowing through the donor-advised funds, Leo’s charities do list some of their grantees, and some of those grantees, in turn, disclose payments to CRC Advisors on their reports to the I.R.S.

The tax filings from 2020 to 2023 show, for example, that Leo’s donor groups gave Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America at least $12 million. In its most recent tax filing, the Anthony group reported that it paid CRC Advisors $543,821 for “public relations consulting.”

Leo’s charities have given the Foundation for Government Accountability at least $2 million. From 2020 to 2022, the accountability foundation told the I.R.S. that it paid CRC Advisors $640,000 for “public relations.”

Or take the Federalist Society, the conservative legal think tank. Leo was formerly the vice president and is now a co-chairman of its board. His donor nonprofits have given it at least $15.5 million during the 2020s, according to tax records. In its most recent filingswith the I.R.S., the Federalist Society reported paying CRC Advisors $4.78 million from 2020 to 2022.

Last week, Hans Nichols, a reporter at Axios, published a letterLeo wrote to the recipients of grants from the 85 Fund. It said in part:

“Conservative philanthropy is too heavily weighted in the direction of ‘ideation’ — the development of and education about conservative ideas and policies. In contrast, vastly insufficient funds are going toward operationalizing and weaponizing those ideas and policies to crush liberal dominance at the choke points of influence and power in our society.”

To counter this misallocation of right-wing money, Leo told the grantees, “If others are not going to devote funding to operationalize or weaponize the conservative vision, then the 85 Fund needs to weight its support much more heavily in that direction and much less in the direction of research, policy and general education.”

The 85 Fund, Leo continued, “intends to gap-fill by placing much, much greater emphasis on projects and leaders that operationalize or weaponize ideas and policies.”

For beneficiaries of Leo’s grant-making organization struggling to figure out how to “operationalize or weaponize” ideas and policies, what better place is there than CRC Advisors to get guidance?

Leo’s financial activities have been subject to repeated investigations by such liberal groups as True North Research, which has released several studies; Accountable.us, which has also put Leo under the magnifying glass; and the Campaign for Accountability.

In April 2023, the Campaign for Accountability filed a complaintwith the I.R.S. seeking an investigation into seven Leo-affiliated organizations in order to determine

whether the Leo-affiliated nonprofits have diverted substantial portions of their income and assets, directly or indirectly, to the personal benefit of Leonard Leo. Most of these entities have either made substantial independent contractor payments to one or more of his for-profit business entities or made major contributions to other Leo-affiliated nonprofits that made such payments. Such payments were generally listed as made in exchange for alleged consulting, research, public relations, or similar services; however, CFA has reasonable questions about whether those alleged services were actually rendered at all or, if services were rendered, whether the payments made were substantially in excess of the fair market value of those services.

The Campaign for Accountability, in its complaint, cited investigative reporting by Heidi Przybyla of Politico about Leo’s growing affluence: “Beginning in 2016, coinciding with the multimillion-dollar payments paid to BH Group, Leonard Leo began living more lavishly. In 2017, Leonard Leo pledged to donate $1 million to Vatican initiatives worldwide.”

I asked Philip Hackney, a former I.R.S. expert in the law governing tax-exempt groups who is now a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh, about Leo’s involvement with tax-exempt and for-profit groups.

In a phone interview, Hackney said the crucial issue when examining situations like Leo’s is whether the fees paid to his for-profit firms are “a fair amount for the services he is rendering.” The $77 million paid to CRC Advisors by Leo’s charitable funds “seems like a lot,” Hackney said.

Hackney noted, however, that when the I.R.S. seeks remedies in such cases, “it’s a hard battle to win” because the judgment of a fair price is subject to so many different interpretations, many of them subjective.

Marcus Owens, a former director of the I.R.S. Exempt Organizations Division — who is now a co-chair for nonprofits and tax-exempt organizations at the Washington law firm Loeb & Loeb — wrote by email:

There are, indeed, federal tax rules that govern related party transactions, particularly when the transactions involve a “disqualified person,” the phrase Congress used when it enacted section 4958 of the Internal Revenue Code back in 1986 to refer to an insider with the ability to wield influence over an organization that is exempt from federal income tax under either section 501(c)(3) or section 501(c)(4). For example, the Marble Trust and the Concord Fund are exempt under section 501(c)(4), while the 85 Fund is exempt under section 501(c)(3). Insider transactions that result in the insider receiving an excessive return, i.e., one that is greater than what fair market terms and conditions would provide, can lead to loss of tax-exempt status or the imposition of a penalty excise tax on the insider of 25 percent of the excessive amount, or both. Fair market terms and conditions are defined as what similar organizations would pay for similar goods or services under similar circumstances, a standard that encourages creative expression by attorneys and accountants.

While Leo has reached a pinnacle of power, he still has a lot riding on the outcome not only of the presidential election but also of the battle for control of the Senate.

Capturing the presidency is important to Leo not only for policy and ideological reasons, but also because, if Donald Trump is elected, he will appoint the next I.R.S. commissioner. It would be very unlikely that such an appointee would pursue an investigation into Leo’s finances.

Control of the Senate is also crucial because the Democratic-controlled Judiciary Committee last year subpoenaed Leo to talk about whether he was involved in gifts to members of the Supreme Court by prominent Republican donors.

In April, Leo declared that he was refusing to comply with the subpoena. “I am not capitulating,” he told reporters, to “Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and the left’s dark money effort to silence and cancel political opposition.”

Since then, the Senate Democratic leadership has been reluctant to try to enforce the subpoena — a virtually impossible task since it would require overcoming a filibuster. If Democrats retain control after the coming elections, they will be under considerable pressure to change the filibuster rules, raising the possibility that Leo could be forced to testify under oath about his activities.

The chances of that happening are, however, slim at best. The most likely outcome of the controversies surrounding Leo is that he will continue, unabated, in his drive to make America great again by devoting vast sums, relentless pressure and every kind of imaginable financial ingenuity to alter the balance of power and push America ever further to the right.

[mangxakorado]

“People of all faiths are coming together to stop what’s happening in Gaza,” said Shelo, 41, a documentary filmmaker whose parents were born in the region now held by Israel. “At this point, it transcends faith. This isn’t just a religious issue or a moral issue. It’s a human issue. Whatever your faith is, whatever your belief system is, you can look at what’s happening and know that it’s wrong and that you want to stop it.”

The Coalition to March on the DNC, the umbrella organization coordinating the various marches and protests, is composed of more than 150 groups, each with its own causes, whether immigration, reproductive health care or LGBTQ rights. But as a whole, the groups have united to demand an end to U.S. aid to Israel and to stand up for Palestinians. . . .

. . . “We want to make it very clear that the Palestinians are suffering with the enabling of aid by this administration embedded with our tax dollars,” said Tarek Khalil, a board member of the Chicago chapter of American Muslims for Palestine. “We’re not letting Kamala Harris off the hook just because she’s vice president and she can lay claim to the fact that she’s beholden to the president’s agenda.”

American Muslims for Palestine is arranging to bring demonstrators from mosques around the Chicago metropolitan area and beyond. While AMP marchers will be at all the week’s demonstrations, the group is co-sponsoring its own march on Wednesday (Aug. 21) at Union Park alongside the Coalition for Justice in Palestine.

The main two marches will take place Monday and Thursday.

Jewish organizations such as Jewish Voice for Peace will join in as well, as will members of the anti-Zionist Jewish congregation Tzedek Chicago, which is also sponsoring a rally on Sunday.

The American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization, is planning an interfaith vigil for Gaza at the Montrose Beach Harbor on Lake Michigan on Tuesday.

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Black Pastors Pressure Biden to Call for a Cease-Fire in Gaza (NYT) As the Israel-Hamas war enters its fourth month, a coalition of Black faith leaders is pressuring the Biden administration to push for a cease-fire—a campaign spurred in part by their parishioners, who are increasingly distressed by the suffering of Palestinians and critical of the president’s response to it. More than 1,000 Black pastors representing hundreds of thousands of congregants nationwide have issued the demand. In sit-down meetings with White House officials, and through open letters and advertisements, ministers have made a moral case for President Biden and his administration to press Israel to stop its offensive operations in Gaza, which have killed thousands of civilians. They are also calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas and an end to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. The effort at persuasion also carries a political warning, detailed in interviews with a dozen Black faith leaders and their allies. Many of their parishioners, these pastors said, are so dismayed by the president’s posture toward the war that their support for his re-election bid could be imperiled.

Shutting down the border (Washington Post) President Biden’s surprise declaration Friday that he would “shut down” the southern border when illegal crossings surge to overwhelming levels illustrates how his many other efforts to address immigration have fallen short of their goals. Biden signed more executive orders related to immigration than any other topic on his first day in office. He’s taken more than 500 executive actions since then, according to a recent tally by the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute (MPI). Last month 249,785 illegal crossings were recorded along the U.S.-Mexico border, the highest monthly total ever, and Biden officials acknowledge the majority of the migrants were released into the United States with pending claims for protection. The latest influx has worsened strains on New York, Chicago, Denver and other cities whose Democratic mayors are pleading for more federal aid to shelter and assist the newcomers.

Show me the money: Damages and penalties (Politico) A jury ordered Trump to pay E. Jean Carroll $83 million in defamation damages, and a judge’s ruling is expected very soon in the civil business fraud trial in which prosecutors have asked for a $370 million penalty. That raises the prospect that the former president could be out $450 million in the span of a week (notwithstanding appeals)—a head-spinning sum even for such a wealthy man. It’s “a financial threat unlike any he has experienced in decades,” NYT’s Ben Protess, Maggie Haberman and Susanne Craig write, not to mention a threat to his ego and business reputation.

The Brazilian crime fighters that weigh 1,800 pounds. (WSJ) Some military police personnel on Marajó Island saddle up and patrol on horned buffalo, which have an unusually robust presence on the island. The animals can chase suspects across soggy mud flats and through thick swamps during the rainy season, police say. The buffaloes’ presence seems to deter criminals.

French farmers aim to put Paris ‘under siege’ in tractor protest. (AP) France’s interior ministry on Sunday ordered a large deployment of security forces around Paris as angry farmers threatened to head toward the capital, hours after climate activists hurled soup at the glass protecting the “Mona Lisa” painting at the Louvre Museum. French farmers are putting pressure on the government to respond to their demands for better remuneration for their produce, less red tape and protection against cheap imports. Speaking after an emergency meeting on Sunday evening, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 15,000 police officers are being deployed, mostly in the Paris region.

After Two Years of Bloody Fighting, Ukraine Wrestles With Conscription (NYT) When Russian troops and tanks invaded Ukraine in February 2022, tens of thousands of Ukrainians rushed to serve in the army in a surge of patriotic fervor. The influx of fighters who dutifully answered their draft notices or enlisted as volunteers helped to repel Russia’s initial assault and thwart the Kremlin’s plans to decapitate the Ukrainian government. But after nearly two years of bloody fighting, and with Ukraine once again in need of fresh troops to fend off a new Russian push, military leaders can no longer rely solely on enthusiasm. More men are avoiding military service, while calls to demobilize exhausted frontline soldiers have grown. The change in mood has been particularly evident in the heated debates over a new mobilization bill that could lead to drafting up to 500,000 troops. The bill has catalyzed discontent in Ukrainian society about the army recruitment process, which has been denounced as riddled with corruption and increasingly aggressive. Many lawmakers have said that some of its provisions, like barring draft dodgers from buying real estate, could violate human rights.

Ukraine’s hopes for victory over Russia are slipping away (Washington Post) It’s hard to ignore the sense of desperation in Ukraine’s corridors of power. Nearing two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, authorities in Kyiv maintain their long-standing entreaty to partners in the West: Deliver us more arms, more aid, more political commitments. President Volodymyr Zelensky toured Western capitals at the end of last year, pleading for support amid growing international fatigue with the conflict and paralysis in U.S. Congress over new supplemental funding for Kyiv. Around the same time, his top general, Valery Zaluzhny, bemoaned the “stalemate” that had set into place after the much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive in 2023 failed to make strategic headway against Russia’s deep defensive lines. U.S. officials and their Western counterparts, as my colleagues reported over the weekend, anticipate a lean year ahead, where Ukraine’s increasingly exhausted forces focus more on consolidating their defense than chipping away at Russia’s land-grabs. The Kremlin controls roughly a fifth of Ukraine’s internationally-recognized territory—including Crimea, and a broad sweep of Ukraine’s southeast.

China Evergrande has been ordered to liquidate. The real estate giant owes over $300 billion (AP) A Hong Kong court ordered China Evergrande, the world’s most heavily indebted real estate developer, to undergo liquidation following a failed effort to restructure $300 billion owed to banks and bondholders that fueled fears about China’s rising debt burden. “It would be a situation where the court says enough is enough,” Judge Linda Chan said Monday. She said it was appropriate for the court to order Evergrande to wind up its business given a “lack of progress on the part of the company putting forward a viable restructuring proposal” as well as Evergrande’s insolvency. China Evergrande Group is one of the biggest of a series of Chinese developers that have collapsed since 2020 under official pressure to rein in surging debt the ruling Communist Party views as a threat to China’s slowing economic growth.

A group of Japanese citizens launches lawsuit against police to stop alleged ‘racial profiling’ (AP) A group of Japanese citizens, including a man of Pakistani descent, launched a civil lawsuit against the country’s police on Monday, accusing the authorities of racial profiling and discrimination and demanding an end to the alleged practice. The case, to be heard in Tokyo District Court, comes as Japan in recent years has seen an influx of workers from abroad. The number of non-Japanese living in Japan reached a record high last year, at nearly 3 million people. One of the three plaintiffs, Syed Zain, a 26-year-old Japanese citizen of Pakistani descent, says he has been repeatedly stopped by police, including getting searched in front of his home. He has lived in Japan for two decades, attended Japanese schools and is fluent in the language, he said. “They don’t recognize us as a Japanese,” he said of the police. “From the first moment, they think I’m a criminal.” The plaintiffs claim that getting stopped by police for apparently no reason violates the Japanese constitution, which provides equality under the law and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race.

The future of the U.N.’s largest Gaza agency is in doubt (NYT) More than a dozen countries, including the U.S., have halted donations to the U.N. aid agency in Gaza after Israel accused its employees of participating in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks. Israel has presented intelligence to the U.S. detailing the allegations, including that one worker kidnapped a woman and another took part in a massacre at a kibbutz. The U.N. is investigating the accusations. But Israeli officials, many of whom have long accused UNRWA of being influenced by Hamas, are debating whether they miscalculated in sharing the evidence. The agency warned that without renewed funding its operations could cease by the end of February, leaving a vacuum in the distribution of food and aid—a role some Israeli security chiefs do not want to have to fill.

Gaza's largest remaining hospital is near collapse, Doctors Without Borders says (NPR) Doctors Without Borders says the largest remaining medical facility in the Gaza Strip, Nasser Hospital, is now unable to provide critical medical care. The nonprofit medical organization said in a statement on Friday that there are now few places for those who need care in Khan Younis to go. The Israeli army said on Tuesday that it had encircled Khan Younis, Gaza's second largest city, and was battling Hamas fighters. Israel intensified fighting this week and ordered the evacuation of everyone in certain neighborhoods, including the hospital. Nasser Hospital is one of the main medical facilities operating in Khan Younis. Gaza's health ministry reported on Wednesday that no one was able to enter or exit because of bombardment. The hospital was also sheltering thousands of displaced Palestinians who had escaped fighting elsewhere in Gaza.

U.S. mixed up enemy, friendly drones in attack that killed 3 troops (Washington Post) American air defenses failed to intercept an attack drone that killed three U.S. troops and wounded dozens in Jordan because the incoming aircraft was mistaken for a friendly drone returning to the base, officials said Monday. The weaponized drone struck the soldiers’ living quarters, described as containerized housing, at a facility known as Tower 22 in northeastern Jordan, where its border converges with Syria and Iraq. Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said the attack occurred early Sunday as personnel at the base were still in bed asleep. The Pentagon has revised the number of personnel injured in the attack, from 34 to more than 40, Singh said. Another official said 47 troops were wounded as a result of the incident. President Biden has vowed to retaliate, but as of Monday afternoon neither the Pentagon nor the White House had conclusively determined from which country the attack originated, officials said. Efforts to identify the specific group responsible also were ongoing.

Insurance (Bloomberg) The average bill for the repair of an American vehicle is $4,437, and for an electric vehicle that is up to $6,618, about 49 percent higher. Collision insurance claims have increased 64 percent between 2018 and 2022, fueled by increasingly sophisticated cars and more complicated things that need to get fixed when they get broken. No longer are we just hammering out dents, but rather we’re taking computers out of the car and fixing it.

[biglisbonnews]

Pussy Riot's Latest Act: A Sotheby's Auction for Planned Parenthood This week, Sotheby’s unveiled its online auction My Body, My Business, curated by Nadya Tolokonnikov, a founding member of global activist group Pussy Riot. It features 31 pieces by female artists who have inspired her somewhere along the way, and all of the proceeds will go towards Planned Parenthood. Her reasoning for this collaboration: “When you go up against the wall, it’s helpful to unite with others; then you have a bigger chance of breaking this wall. This auction is all about women’s solidarity to me.”It can feel as though corporations ceaselessly shove hot (but ultimately flaccid) collaborations down our throats, only to eventually disappear from the face of the internet as quickly as they initially cropped up. If the marriage of two brands was not already more than anyone asked for, the union of three striking names has filled me with terror since the Saweetie x Crocs x Hidden Valley Ranch campaign. You will be as relieved as I am to hear that Tolokonnikov's collaboration has a lasting impact and a solid backbone: A terrifyingly powerful coalition between artists, activists and institutions that simply makes sense. Your browser does not support the video tag. There’s no one focus of the collection’s mediums spanning mediums from oil painting and sculpture to video and NFT. However, the collection’s digital presence rings through, with cryptocurrency accepted as a form of payment on many of the pieces. "Conceptual art gives you freedom," Tolokonnikov says. "You can work with any medium that makes sense to you. Growing up in the '90s, digital reality was always a part of my life, so it made sense to work with it.”Nine months in the making, this project was envisioned as a reaction to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. “We live in a global world, and what’s happening in one country affects the rest of the planet,” Tolokonnikov tells PAPER. “My feminist fundraising work in 2021 mostly benefited Russia-based organizations that protect women-identified, queer, and non-binary people from domestic violence. My fundraising work in 2022 to 2023 has largely focused on supporting Ukraine.” Founded on this belief of an interconnected world, Tolokonnikov has helped raise around $500K for reproductive health in the US within the last year. Feminism on a global scale is difficult to define; it takes on many forms depending on the environmental challenges that face any given woman. My Body, My Business begins to articulate these intricacies through pieces that hail from all over the world that speak to the artists' own individual experiences of womanhood. "Resistance Effect" is an NFT created by Panama-based artist Ix Shells. The self-taught coder creates generative art, which essentially creates itself from the replication of a single algorithm. Shells shares, “This artwork represents my love for asymmetry and its role in my life. It’s a tribute to collective transformation and resilience; look how far we’ve gone together, those who dare.”"PALIANYTSIA," meanwhile, is a rock sculpture by Ukrainian artist Zhanna Kadyrova. It tells the recent tragedy of Ukraine’s invasion from the perspective of guerilla resistance. The regional word for a local variety of bread, "palianytsia" has become a shibboleth and a sign of camaraderie used to distinguish Russian invader spies from neighbors by their inability to pronounce the word. Kadyrova recalls that, for the first two weeks of the war, she had lost faith in the power of art against the "merciless military machine." She adds: "Now I no longer think so: I see that every artistic gesture makes us visible and makes our voices heard.”To Tolokonnikov, feminism is about burning down the patriarchy and building a better, equal society from its ashes. She references her friend and mentor, Judy Chicago, creator of the Brooklyn Museum’s permanent installation, The Dinner Party, cautioning that “the patriarchy hurts not only women-identified people, but everyone including men, animals and nature.” The feminist elder has been a source of inspiration throughout Tolokonnikov’s activist life, even in this collaboration with Sotheby’s: “I’ve done my art mostly outside of institutions because Pussy Riot belongs to everyone, not only those who can afford to buy art or have the free time to go to museums.” This approach is egalitarian, but it has its own downsides; Tolokonnikov points out that “your art is short-lived, you exist within a 24-hour news cycle, and your legacy is not preserved.” Tolokonnikov has pledged to continue her work far into the future. “If I want to achieve significant changes, I have to dedicate my entire life to my work, art and activism," she says and adds that as a note we could all use on forming good partnerships: “To participate in writing history, you need to collaborate with others on a large scale. Institutions may be at times slow, bureaucratic and overly cautious, but you can find great allies there.” Your browser does not support the video tag. Today is the last day to participate in the My Body, My Business auction. All pieces are available for viewing and bidding until 2 PM via the Sotheby’s website.Photos courtesy of Nadya Tolokonnikov https://www.papermag.com/pussy-riot-sothebys-auction-2659594594.html

[cendrillonmedousa]

Notable, Present-day, Radical Feminists

As a second wave feminism, we assume that radical feminists are hard, if not impossible, to find in today's world. Here is a list of notable women you can still interact with today.

Chude Pam Allen, co-founder of New York Radical Women

Ti-Grace Atkinson, author of Amazon Odyssey

Kathleen Barry, co-founder of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women

Linda Bellos, first Black lesbian member of Spare Rib feminist collective

Julie Bindel, co-founder of Justice for Women

Jenny Brown, author of Birth Strike: The Hidden Fight Over Women's Work

Professor Judith C. Brown, pioneer in the study of lesbian history

Susan Brownmiller, author of Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape

Professor Phyllis Chesler, co-founder of Association for Women in Psychology

D.A. Clarke, known for her development of feminist theory

Nikki Craft, creator of the Andrea Dworkin Online Library, Hustling the Left website, and No Status Quo website

Christine Delphy, co-founder of the French Women's Liberation Movement

Professor Gail Dines, author of Pornland: How Porn Has Hijacked Our Sexuality

Melissa Farley, founder and director of Prostitution Research and Education

Marilyn Fyre, author of The Politics of Reality: Essays in Feminist Theory

Carol Hanisch, best known for "the personal is political"

Merle Hoffman, co-founder of the National Abortion Federation

Professor Shelia Jeffreys, author of The Spinster and Her Enemies

Lierre Keith, founder of Women's Liberation Front

Anne Koedt, author of The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm

Marjorie Kramer, editor of Woman and Art Quarterly

Professor Holly Lawford-Smith, author of Gender-Critical Feminism

Dr. Catharine Alice MacKinnon, author of Sexual Harassment of Working Women: A Case for Sex Discrimination

Robin Morgan, creator of Sisterhood Is anthologies

Dr. Janice G. Raymond, author of The Transsexual Empire

Kathie Sarachild, coiner of term "Sisterhood is Powerful"

Alix Kates Shulman, author of Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen

Gloria Steinman

Michele Faith Wallace, author of Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman

Dr. Marilyn Salzman Webb, co-founder of the first feminist consciousness-raising groups in Chicago and Washington D.C.

Harriet Wistrich, founding director of Centre for Women's Justice

Laura X, led the campaign behind making marital and date rape a crime in over twenty countries

[96thdayofrage]

Jason Van Dyke, Ex-Cop Who Murdered Laquan McDonald, Released From Prison

Van Dyke served about half of his sentence for killing the Black teen in 2014. A growing number of voices are calling for him to face federal charges.

Former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke was released from prison on Thursday after serving less than half of his nearly seven-year prison sentence for the murder of Black teen Laquan McDonald.

A jury convicted Van Dyke in 2018 of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery ― one for each bullet the white officer shot at the 17-year-old on a Chicago street in 2014. He was sentenced to 81 months, which meant that he could be released in about half that time with good behavior.

“The punishment that he received … does not match the criminal act that he committed on Oct. 20, 2014, and furthermore, there’s individuals in Cook County Jail that are spending more time in detention waiting to go to trial than what Jason Van Dyke has spent in the Illinois State Penitentiary,” said community activist William Calloway, according to WTTW-TV. Calloway was central in pushing for the city to release the footage of McDonald’s death, and he is leading the charge in calling for federal charges against Van Dyke.

Illinois law states that judges can sentence people only for the most serious crime they’re convicted of when they’re found guilty of multiple crimes for a single act. Prosecutors tried to make the case for sentencing Van Dyke on the aggravated battery conviction, which carries a minimum sentence of six to 30 years in prison for each count.

Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan decided to instead sentence him on the second-degree murder charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, because he ruled that was the more serious crime. The decision led Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and special prosecutor Joseph McMahon to appeal Van Dyke’s sentence to the Illinois Supreme Court. However, the court ruled that the former officer’s sentence stood.

A growing number of voices, from activists to officials, are calling for John Lausch, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, to bring federal charges against Van Dyke. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) said last week that Van Dyke should face federal civil rights charges, and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) voiced her support on Monday for the Justice Department to conduct a civil rights investigation into McDonald’s death.

“We are here because we are outraged, we are disgusted, we are traumatized and we are hurt. But we are hurt enough to be mad, to form an organization and a coalition, to stand against what is not happening that should be taking place,” Lashawn Yvonne Littrice, a Chicago activist with Black Lives Matter Women of Faith, said at a Jan. 15 press conference where a coalition of activists ― including Calloway and GoodKids MadCity’s Camiella Williams ― called for Van Dyke to be federally prosecuted.

“Holding John Lausch accountable is number one. But also holding these other elected officials that we mentioned earlier … they have some sort of political power that could move and make some changes ― they are sitting quietly,” Littrice added. “But what we’re not going to ignore is when all of these people ran for office, they ran on the back of Laquan McDonald. We heard ‘Laquan McDonald,’ they stood in the crowds with us while we were being kicked by horses and hit by bikes, and these people got in office because they said they were gonna do something different. And we know that they lied. Now we’re gonna hold them accountable because, guess what, election season is coming up again.”

Kina Collins is an activist in Chicago running for Congress against Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) with a platform that includes criminal justice reform. Part of that reform means combating police militarization, holding law enforcement accountable for violence, fighting white supremacy and funding a stronger social safety net for communities.

Collins, who has protested for years with fellow community activists over McDonald’s death, also called for federal charges against Van Dyke, saying the teen’s murder was “a lynching that happened on the South Side of Chicago” and “was covered up for over 400 days.”

Activists and officials called for federal oversight of the Chicago Police Department almost immediately after a judge forced then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration to release the footage of McDonald’s death. The Justice Department released a scathing report two years later detailing a deeply flawed department that had no accountability for officers, a code of silence and disproportionate use of force against Black and brown Chicagoans.

“You know, this is not something that’s just happening here in Illinois. There are instances of police violence and excessive force happening all across the country,” Collins said, adding that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pleaded guilty on federal civil rights charges in December for the 2020 murder of George Floyd.

“Why shouldn’t Jason Van Dyke be held accountable for violating Laquan McDonald’s civil rights as Derek Chauvin was?” she continued. “We think this is very realistic, and it’s the only common-sense and logical and the only just response to him getting out and walking early on his state conviction.”

Collins has protested for years with fellow community activists over McDonald’s death, saying “we’ve been in this fight … for nearly a decade.” She expressed similar frustration as the organizers over current elected officials who made McDonald’s death a campaign issue but then left Black Chicagoans disappointed when it came to fighting for justice.

“Yes, I stand in a place as a candidate right now running for the U.S. House of Representatives. But I know that people like William Calloway and Camiella Williams are my accountability metrics. These are people who have helped inform my policy platforms moving forth. They have included me continuously in the space, and they have an expectation of me as not just a candidate … but as an organizer and as an activist in that I don’t abdicate my responsibility of organizing once I get elected,” she said.

“So you know, for me, this isn’t a photo-op opportunity just to talk about policy. This is personal. I grew up on the West Side of Chicago. I’ve seen the police torture that has happened to people in my community, our community, and policing relationships have deteriorated and how that’s impacting families and neighborhoods in Chicago.”

On Monday, the Rev. Jesse Jackson joined McDonald’s aunt and grandmother in announcing a march in Chicago on Thursday in response to Van Dyke’s release. Activists also called on union members at the Chicago Transit Authority to stop service in protest.

[canichangemyblogname]

Illinois has the most Muslim Americans per capita in the U.S.

According to a report by the Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition, the Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement at the University of Illinois Chicago, and Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, Muslims are the youngest and most diverse faith community in the state.

You can read about it here:

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

An Open Letter Denouncing the [RACIST] Attacks on Justice Clarence Thomas

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2022/07/13/an_open_letter_denouncing_the_attacks_on_justice_clarence_thomas_147879.html?mc_cid=e37b2b8113

An Open Letter Denouncing the Attacks on Justice Clarence Thomas

By Glenn Loury & Robert Woodson Sr.

July 13, 2022

White progressives do not have the moral authority to excommunicate a black man from his race because they disagree with him.

And those – regardless of background – who join in the charade or remain silent are guilty of enabling this abuse.

We, the undersigned, condemn the barrage of racist, vicious, and ugly personal attacks that we are witnessing on Clarence Thomas – a sitting Supreme Court justice. Whether it is calling him a racist slur, an “Uncle Tom” or questioning his “blackness” over his jurisprudence, the disparagement of this man, of his faith and of his character, is abominable.

Regardless of where one stands on Justice Thomas’ personal or legal opinions, he is among the pantheon of black trailblazers throughout American history and is a model of integrity, scholarship, steadfastness, resilience, and commitment to the Constitution of the United States of America. For three decades Justice Thomas has served as a model for our children. He has long been honored and celebrated by black people in this country and his attackers do not speak for the majority of blacks.

He is entirely undeserving of the vitriol directed at him. Character assassination has become too convenient a tool for eviscerating those who dare dissent from the prevailing agenda, especially when it is a black man who is dissenting.

This is not about the content of the court’s decisions or Justice Thomas’ personal views; some of the undersigned agree with his judicial decisions and some do not. We speak out – as black people and Americans – to condemn these attacks and support Justice Thomas, because to remain silent would be to implicitly endorse these poisonous schemes as well as his destruction.

Sincerely,

Glenn Loury

Professor of Economics

Brown University

Providence, RI

Robert Woodson Sr.

Founder and President

The Woodson Center

Washington, DC

Charles Love, Executive Director, Seeking Educational Excellence, New York, NY

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford, CA

W. Barclay Allen, Havre de Grace, MD

Christopher Arps, Co-founder, Move-On-Up.org, St. Louis, MO

Dr. Lisa Babbage, Babbage America, Suwanee, GA

Leon Benjamin, Pastor, Life Harvest Church, Richmond, VA

Claston Bernard , Olympian, Author, Former Congressional Candidate, Gonzales, LA

Shamike Bethea, Fredrick Douglass Foundation of NC, Fayetteville, NC

Harold A. Black, Emeritus Professor University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

Kenneth Blackwell, Chairman, Conservative Action Project, OH

Tony Blount, Member / Coalition of Concerned Freedmen, New York, NY

Jordan R. Bolds ,New York, NY

Robert Bracy, President/Pinnacle Business Management, New York, NY

David Brooks, Former Rich Township IL Republican Committeeman, Indianapolis, IN

Janice Rogers Brown, Gardnerville, NV

John Sibley Butler, Austin, TX

Don Carey, City Councilman, Chesapeake, VA

Tess Chakkalakal, Associate Professor, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME

Jeff Charles, Podcaster, Writer, Political Commentator, Jacksonville, FL

Gabrielle Clark, Houston, TX

Adam B. Coleman, Founder of Wrong Speak Publishing, Piscataway, NJ

Melanie Collette, Host, Money Talk with Melanie Cape May Court House, NJ

Ward Connerly, President of the American Civil Rights Institute, Coeur d'Alene, ID

D. Daniels, GA

Kira A. Davis, Deputy Managing Editor, RedState, Ladera Ranch, CA

Rod Dorilás, GOP Candidate, Florida 22nd Congressional District, West Palm Beach, FL

Patricia Rae Easley, Black Excellence Media, Chicago, IL

Larry Elder, President of Elder for America PAC, Los Angeles, CA

Rev. Joe Ellison Jr., City Chaplain Ministries, Richmond, VA

Melvin Everson, Former State Rep, Snellville, GA

Nique Fajors, St. Louis, MO

Yaya J. Fanusie, Chief Strategist, Cryptocurrency AML Strategies, Columbia, MD

George Farrell, Chair of BlakPac,Washington, DC

Chavis Jennings, Highland, IN

Casey Felin, ThatGirlCasey Media, Philadelphia, PA

LaTasha H. Fields, Team Illinois, Chicago, IL

Marie Fischer, JEXIT, Baltimore, MD

Kali Fontanilla, Founder of Exodus Institute, Sarasota, FL

Roland Fryer, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Edwin A. Fynn, Merrillville, IN

Verlon Galloway, Gary, IN

Dr. Derryck Green, Sacramento, CA

Kermit E. Hairston, Stone Mountain, GA

Christopher Harris, Executive Director of Unhyphenated America, Fairfax County, VA

Clarence Henderson, President Frederick Douglass Foundation of N. Carolina, High Point, NC

Ismael Hernandez, Founder/President/Freedom & Virtue Institute, Fort Myers, FL

Curtis Hill, Former Indiana Attorney General, Elkhart, IN

Deidre Hulett, Gary, IN

Daniel Idfresne, 18-Year-Old Political Commentator, New York City, NY

Niger Innis, Chairman, Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), Las Vegas, NV

Kevin Jackson, Founder/The Kevin Jackson Network, Gilbert, AZ

Nikki Johnson, MD, Cleveland, OH

Leonydus Johnson, Host of Informed Dissent, Oak Hill, OH

Diante Johnson, President, Black Conservative Federation, Arlington, VA

Christopher Jones, Pastor, Atlanta, GA

Seneca Jones, Dallas, TX

Khansa Jones-Muhammad, Los Angeles, CA

Dr. Alveda King, Concerned Citizen, Atlanta, GA

Lisa Kinnemore, Stone Mountain, GA

Garry Kinnemore, Stone Mountain, GA

Matthew P. Kreutz, Frederick Douglass Foundation of New York, Medina, NY

Chaplain Ayesha Kreutz, Frederick Douglass Foundation of New York, Medina, NY 

Princess Kuevor, Columbus, OH

Michael Lancaster, Frederick Douglass Foundation, Stone Mountain, GA

Mitchell Lomax, Ellicott City, MD

Pamela Denise Long, Nat'l Coordinator, Coalition of Concerned Freedmen, St. Louis, MO

Barrington D. Martin II, Atlanta, GA

Linda Matthews, Frederick Douglass Foundation Ohio, Cincinnati, OH

Kevin McGary, Co-Founder Every Black Life Matters (EBLM), Dallas, TX

John McWhorter, New York, NY

Shemeka Michelle, Author, Durham, NC

Cashmere Miller, Atlanta, GA

Montrail Miller, FDF, GA

Lucas E. Morel, Professor of Politics, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA

Brian Mullins, Black Community Collaborative, Chicago, IL

Scherie Murray, Director, Unite the Fight PAC, Laurelton, NY

Dr. Lorenzo Neal, New Bethel AME Church, Jackson, MS

Dean Nelson, Frederick Douglass Foundation, Washington, DC

Morris W. O'Kelly, On-air personality, KFI AM640/iHeartRadio, Los Angeles, CA

Tim Parrish, Founder, Right Appeal PAC, Woodbridge, VA

Lonnie Poindexter, LionChasersNetwork.org, Washington, DC

Jon Ponder, Chief Executive Officer, Hope For Prisoners, Las Vegas, NV

Wilfred Reilly, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY

Deon Richmond, Studio City, CA

Donique Rolle, Educator, Orlando, FL

Ian V. Rowe, Senior Visiting Fellow, The Woodson Center, New York, NY

Sheryl R. Sellaway, Founder, Righteous PR Agency, Johns Creek, GA

Erec Smith, Assoc. Professor of Rhetoric/Co-founder Free Black Thought, York, PA

Dr. Felicity Joy Solomon, Shorewood, IL

Delano Squires, Contributor, Blaze Media, Washington, DC

Rebekah Star, New York, NY

Dr. Carol M. Swain, Be the People News, Nashville, TN

David Sypher Jr., Political Strategist, Rahway, NJ

Dr. Linda Lee Tarver, President, Tarver Consulting, Lansing, MI

Greg Thomas, Stratford, CT

Roderick Threats, Black Patriot Media Group, Palm Beach, FL

Jimmy Lee Tillman II, Founder/President, Martin Luther King Republicans, Chicago, IL

Stephanie W. Trussell, Republican Candidate for LTG Illinois, Lisle, IL

Jesse C. Turner, Senior Pastor, The Historic Elm Grove Baptist Church, Pine Bluff, AR

Bettye H. Tyler, Marvellous Works, Inc., Jackson, MS

Helen Tyner, Parents for a Better Englewood, Chicago, IL

Dr. Eric M. Wallace, Freedom's Journal Institute, Flossmoor, IL

Marcus Watkins, Michigan Republican Assembly, Romulus, MI

Curtis Watkins, Uplift & Restore Community Development Corp., Michigan City, IN

Cindy Werner, State Ambassador, Frederick Douglass Foundation-WI, Milwaukee, WI

Devon Westhill, President/General Counsel, Center for Equal Opportunity, Washington, DC

Jason Whitlock, Host of Fearless with Jason Whitlock, Nashville, TN

Christopher Wilson, Indianapolis, IN

Kuna Winding, Chicago, IL

Corrine Winding, Chicago, IL

Aryca Woodson, Communications Consultant, IN

John Wood Jr., Opinion Columnist, USA Today, Los Angeles, CA

Michael E. Wooten, Former Administrator, Federal Procurement Policy, Woodbridge, VA

Glenn Loury is professor of economics at Brown University.

Robert Woodson Sr. is founder and president of The Woodson Center.

Craig Shirley: Donations To Reagan Library Will Trickle Down After Liz Cheney Speech, "The Debates Are Over"

Occam's Razor (the simplest explanation is usually correct) would say that Cheney saw the GOP departing from everything she represents and did her best to poison every Republican Institution she can touch before she's driven out into the wilderness.

FNC's Peter Doocy To White House: Does The President Think It Is Appropriate To Protest Outside A Supreme Court Justice's Home?

So the Biden Administration thinks it's OK to shadow these Justices, or any other public figure, from location to location to disrupt their lives and possibly expose them to threats. You have a right to peacefully protest but their are restrictions on time, place, and manner...and one of those is a restriction (a law against!) on protesting outside the homes of Justices. So, the Administration is approving and tacitly encouraging illegal behavior. The only reason to protest outside the homes of these Justices is to intimidate them; it certainly isn't aimed at persuading fellow Americans on the issue.

Zelensky: "The End Of The World Has Arrived" I'm Embarrassed This Is Happening In The 21st Century

Some may remember the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early 60s. Castro was in power in Cuba and the Russians began bringing nuclear missiles into Cuba. JFK was President of the USA at the time. A nuclear was was barely averted and Russia took their missiles home, but exacted some concessions from Kennedy, one of which was pulling our missile capability out of Turkey. At the end of the Cold War promises were made to Russia that NATO would not expand into the Russian sphere of influence. That promise has been broken many times. Havana Cuba is a bit further from Washington, D.C., than Kiev is from Moscow. Biden signed a paper in Nov 2021 that invited Ukraine to join NATO. See " The Two Blunders That Caused the Ukraine War" in the March 4th WSJ. One might ask why Biden opened the door for Ukraine to join NATO? Did he think that Russia would do nothing with the prospect of being squeezed by another NATO country? Or did Biden want Russia to attack the Ukraine to take the heat off the dismal prospects of the mid-term elections?

Recall, Remove & Replace Every Last Soros Prosecutor | RealClearPolitic

Recall is not feasible particularly since many states do not have recall. But voters should pay more attention to these DA, AG, and prosecutor races. Republicans adopted a from the ground up strategy to win state legislator races and it was a spectacular success. Democrats, with Soros money are trying to do the same thing with DA races. Republicans should engage them and voters should pay more attention or we will end up with more non prosecution of crimes and release without bail.

Tucker Carlson: Arrest Of Bannon And Navarro Is A Huge Escalation In Democratic Party's Weaponization Of DOJ

The whole premise of the J6 witch hunt is that an insurrection to over-throw the US gov't was planned. Mind you, this was planned without a single weapon to be used, and relied on the police abandoning post, and the Capitol doors to somehow be opened from the inside. Once inside these "insurrectionists" took selfies. This narrative is so dead.

[ausetkmt]

Racism, gruesome errors, and botched executions: Inside America’s four-person, 48-hour execution spree

the blood thirstyness..

-------------------------

On a cold morning last Wednesday, in the execution chamber at the Eyman prison in Florence, Arizona, a 76-year-old named Murray Hooper, convicted of a 1980 double murder, lay strapped to a gurney, awaiting lethal injection.

Officials failed multiple times to place an IV that would deliver the execution drugs, resorting to placing a catheter in the man’s femoral artery, near his groin.

He turned towards the gallery, looked at the witnesses on the other side of the glass, and reportedly said, “Can you believe this?” before later being pronounced dead at 10.34am.

Even for America, one of few countries globally which still uses the death penalty, last week was exceptionally violent, with four executions planned in the span of 48 hours. The killings were marred with errors, accusations of racism and discrimination, and claims of innocence. One was called off after officials took more than an hour and were unable to place an IV line.

Stephen Barbee (Texas Department of Criminal Justice)

In Texas on Wednesday, Stephen Barbee, 55, was killed, after being convicted in the February 2005 killing of his pregnant ex-girlfriend and her young son.

It took an hour-and-a-half for officials find a vein to deliver the lethal injection drugs.

Barbee’s lawyers said the state wasn’t properly following a March US Supreme Court decision requiring that states respect the requests of the condemned to have faith leaders with them in the execution room.

"The recent spate of botched lethal injection executions have shown that whatever the drug, whatever the protocol, condemned prisoners often spend their final moments in agonizing pain and distress,” Maya Foa, director of advocacy group Reprieve US, said in a statement after the execution.

“Establishing IV access is difficult, even for trained medical professionals,” she added. “Prison officials often struggle to find a vein, subjecting the prisoner to a lengthy ordeal of stabs and cuts. With each gruesome scene in the death chamber, we are witnessing the consequences of persisting with a broken method of execution in real time.”

The following day, Oklahoma executed Richard Fairchild, 63, for murdering his girlfriend’s three-year-old son in 1993.

Richard Fairchild

Fairchild’s attorneys said he grew up in an abusive home, suffered from alcohol and substance abuse at a young age, and developed head trauma as a teen boxer, all of which may have impaired his moral judgment later on. Despite these warning signs, his original attorneys never raised them before the court, even though the Supreme Court has found such factors could rule out a death sentence.

“We shouldn’t have to hold up signs on the road that say ‘Don’t Kill the Mentally Ill’ and ‘Stop Executing Veterans.’ This is the fourth person with mental illness and brain damage that the State has executed in 2022,” Reverend Don Heath, chair of the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, said in a statement. “No end is in sight. We have 23 more executions scheduled in the next 26 months. Oklahoma is ruled by people with hard hearts.”

Perhaps the most controversial of these executions was that of Hooper in Arizona.

Murray Hooper (Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry)

Critics say his case is tainted with bias and dubious evidence, as well as corrupted by the involvement of the Chicago Police Department during a period notorious for racism, the abuse and torture of suspects, and numerous false convictions that were later overturned. The story is indicative of the labyrinthine process of capital convictions and near impossibility of slowing the execution machine once it reaches a conclusion.

In November of 1980, Hooper allegedly committed a triple murder in Illinois, then a contract killing double murder in Phoenix the following month. Hooper was well known to Chicago police for past involvement in gang activity, but wasn’t arrested until he was named as a suspect in the Arizona case.

In custody in Illinois, Mr Hooper said he was threatened with suffocation, and had officers jam their fingers down his throat. Years later, his death sentence there was eventually thrown out in appeals court, after a panel found evidence of potential racial bias during his trial was ignored. But by then it was too late. The Illinois conviction helped persuade courts in Arizona to grant a death sentence.

In the Arizona case, prosecutors alleged Hooper was part of a trio of hitmen hired to kill William “Pat” Redmond, on behalf of a mobbed up business man seeking to take control of Redmond’s printing business and its lucrative potential work with Las Vegas casinos.

Only one witness survived the shooting, Redmond’s wife Marilyn. At various points, she claimed the attack was carried out by three Black men, by two Black men and a clean cut white man in a suit, and told detectives she wouldn’t be able to recognise anyof the suspects.

There was no physical evidence that Hooper was involved in the Phoenix shooting, so prosecutors relied heavily on Ms Redmond’s testimony. Officials said she had picked Hooper and a co-defendant William Bracy out of a lineup, though there wasn’t any written record or recorded interviews with police about the positive identification, despite officials possessing a video recording of Ms Redmond attempting to identify a third defendant.

The red flags didn’t end there.

Hooper, who is Black, was convicted by an all-white jury, while being represented by a public defender only a year out of law school.

After Hooper was convicted, the state disclosed it provided drugs, money, and conjugal visits to another key witness. Based on these disclosures, Joyce Lukezic, the wife of Redmond’s business partner the and alleged mastermind of the contract killing, who maintained her innocence, was acquitted after multiple trials.

Robert Cruz, who alleged hired Hooper and the two other hitmen, was tried five times, and was also acquitted. Hooper’s co-defendants in the killing itself all got death sentences, but died before they could be executed.

That left Hooper as the only one to face the death chamber.

He argued that if given the chance, he could get his Arizona conviction thrown out, just like his Illinois one. In 2021, Arizona passed a law allowing forensic testing of materials in old cases, if such methods weren’t around at the time of the original conviction. Hooper and his lawyers argued that officials should test a murder weapon that had been retained by Arizona officials, but the state attorney general’s office successfully argued against such a step.

In the runup to a recent clemency hearing, the state also disclosed that Ms Redmond had been unable to pick Hooper out of a photo lineup at one point, though it later claimed no such photo lineup existed and the disclosure was an error.

To make matters worse, Kat Jutras of Death Penalty Alternatives for Arizona argued, the case got outsized attention this year as Arizona officials ran in the midterms and sought to appear “tough on crime.”

“I think looking back at everything involved in this case raises some serious problems with how justice works over decades, not just in 2022, but it’s looking at all of the problems that are both systemic, that are racially motivated,” she told The Independent.

Hooper, whatever innocence claims he had left, hardly had a chance, she said. There were other death row inmates who had exhausted their appeals before Hooper, but his execution was scheduled first.

As the 76-year-old told The Intercept shortly before his execution last Wednesday, “After I’m dead, the truth is buried with me.”

Hooper’s eventual execution adds to the list of controversial Arizona state killings, after the state paused carrying out death sentences for eight years after a severely botched execution in 2014 and subsequent struggles to find adequate supplies of lethal injection drugs.

Officials can’t seem to carry off an execution where both the right drugs are used, an IV is placed quickly, and the inmate doesn’t suffer, Ms Jutras said, but state officials disclose little about who conducts executions or how they are trained.

“We’ve seen for the last three a consistent problem getting IVs into people,” she said. “We don’t know who these people are. We don’t know what their capabilities are. The only thing I can determine is they don’t have adequate training to do this.”

And Arizona officials aren’t the only ones struggling.

Kenneth Eugene Smith

On Thursday, Alabama officials called off the execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith, 57, after it took over an hour to place an IV line and officials were unable to find a suitable vein to deliver the lethal injection drugs.

It’s the second time since September officials in the state have cancelled an execution because of IV trouble, even though placing IV lines is a commonplace medical procedure.

On Monday, Alabama governor Kay Ivey announced a suspension of executions in the state, as officials conduct a “top-to-bottom” review of what’s going wrong.

Despite these continued problems with executions, a slim majority of Americans approve of capital punishment for convicted murderers, according to recent Gallup polling, though support is way down from the high watermark of the early 1990s, when about 80 per cent of citizens favoured the punishment.

Ms Jutras says she’s clear eyed about the future of capital punishment reform. America, she argues, may not yet be ready to abolish the system, but few can look at it without seeing some cause for change. Numerous people on death row suffer from severe mental illness, so she’s hoping mental health reform can limit the pipeline of people heading towards the execution chamber.

“Mental health is not a political issue. There are people on both sides of the aisle who can identify with loved ones suffering from mental health issues,” she said. “We can address why our death row has 110 people on it, starting with mental health, that’s something  where there’s a lot more agreement.”

The Independent and the nonprofit Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) have launched a joint campaign calling for an end to the death penalty in the US. The RBIJ has attracted more than 150 well-known signatories to their Business Leaders Declaration Against the Death Penalty - with The Independent as the latest on the list. We join high-profile executives like Ariana Huffington, Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, and Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson as part of this initiative and are making a pledge to highlight the injustices of the death penalty in our coverage.